With the new school year commencing this week, 2018 will also mark a new era for St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, Orange. The Parish of St Mary and St Joseph, Orange and the School are about to release plans to build new learning spaces and to refurbish its existing rooms.

Working with an estimated budget of $6.1 million, the building works will take place in stages and will ensure that the students of St Mary’s will benefit from state-of-the-art learning environments.

The project will be funded by the Catholic Diocese of Bathurst, with the assistance of a Capital Building Works Grant of $1.2 million provided by the Federal Government.

Principal, Kerrie Basha said, “The expansion of St Mary’s Catholic Primary School will utilise funds provided by the capital works levy. Parents pay this levy as part of their annual Catholic school fees. It will be wonderful to see the funds put to great use, by providing students with the most modern and collaborative learning facilities available.”

“With a constant increase in enrolments and a high demand for quality Catholic education in Orange, the planned expansion of the School will ensure that St Mary’s has the capacity to offer three streams from Kindergarten to Year Six, with the option of after school care, once the project is complete,” said Mrs Basha.

Parish Priest, Father Greg Bellamy said, “St Mary’s Catholic Primary School has a rich history of educating students from Orange and outlying areas. The expansion of the site means we can build upon this legacy into the future and continue to make a significant contribution to our local community.”

St Mary’s boasts extensive grounds and an important aspect of the planning has been to ensure that the end result will not encroach onto valued play space. With this in mind, the new buildings will utilise space behind existing buildings with only a small overlap onto Cadia Bank, beside the school hall.

Plans for the new learning spaces and refurbishment will be available for viewing on the School’s website and in the front foyer of the School in the coming weeks.